Aryas Return
by SKINNY-little-girl
Summary: Arya returned to Winterfell, Jon Danerys and Tyrion are preparing for the last battle against the White Walkers. Cersei was killed by Jaime who then killed himself. Bran told them there are no more Children of the forest. Arya sits underneath a weirwood tree in the godswood.
1. Chapter 1

Arya found herself under the weirwood tree in the godswood. She wasn't staring at anything in particular. She was just staring. Her mind was far away. She heard something behind her. Only one person could have followed her there.

"What are you doing here" he said. "Alone in the woods?" "Just thinking" she said, still not looking at him. "I am not afraid of being alone in the woods" she added. "No " he smiled. "You never were." He sat next to her. "So what are you doing here? Taking a break from all the terrifying things that are about to come?" she asked. "In fact I was looking for you. We haven't really been able to spend time together since you came back." "Yeah." she said and looked down.

"So many things have changed but this place is still the same, and it maybe it will always be the same, even a hundred years after we are all wiped out. " She paused. "I miss mother and father. I thought the pain would go away when all the people on my list were dead, but it didn't stop. It still hurts." Her eyes filled with tears. Jon caressed her hair gently. When they were younger he used to mess up her hair, but since she was back, he was different, much softer. "I miss father too. Even though the term father is not technically correct anymore. You are right, a lot of things changed."

"Sansa was so happy to see me, she almost broke my ribs. " She laughed. " Who would have thought that one day Sansa Stark would be so happy to see me." Jon slowly pulled her closer. "No one could have been as happy as I am right now." He touched her face and wiped away the tears. Then he stroked her her cheek with his thumb. " Do you have any idea how much I missed you and how many times I wished you were close to me, to calm me down?" She laid her head on his lap. "I'm here now. I'm not leaving." Things changed, but her love for Jon would never change. She felt safe now. She hadn't felt that safe and comfortable for years. She lay there for a while and fell asleep as Jon stroked her back.

On that night Arya , Jon and Sansa decided to give a feast. Sansa had embraced Arya so hard, that she could still feel the pressure on her ribcage. There was not much meat on her anyway. So Sansa of course suggested that she should dress up to present herself in front of all these new people. But this time, she did not force her. She just suggested it and waited for her response. Arya had the feeling that it could make her sister happy to see her in one of her dresses so she agreed. Sansa braided her hair. It was not as long as Sansas, but it had definitely grown a lot since she left Braavos. She left her room and told her she would wait for her at the table.

Now that she was alone, she looked in the mirror. Sansa had given her an emerald green dress with the Stark sigil embroidered on its shoulder. Arya liked it, even though she felt uncomfortable wearing such a long dress. She did not remember when she looked at herself the last time. Her appearance didn't really matter to her, as she could change her face anyway. But she looked proud and strong. Not like Sansa, not like a lady. But she was more mature now and that was visible.

Arya did not like to be in the center of attention but she knew that everybody would be excited to hear her story so she decided to tell her story in the shortest way possible, which would still be long. She sat at the table next to Jon, who was in the Middle of Sansa and her. "What a lucky man I am today, two beautiful women next to me." He smirked. "Your friends seem really funny" she said, looking at Tormund who was trying to hold a conversation with Brienne of Tarth. "I am glad that they support you" She said and smiled. When the dish was served Arya had already started to tell her story, not everyone was listening, but Sansa and Jon wanted to know every detail. Samwell seemed to be pretty interested in the Faceless Men and asked her if they ever talked about the White Walkers. He could not hide his disappointment when she negated.

After dinner she went out and stood on the balcony for a while. "Aren't you cold?" asked Jon and joined her. "A bit" she admitted. He put his coat on her shoulders. This evening he was constantly looking at her in a different way. Arya did not understand but she thought that maybe he could still not believe she came back home. "I still can't believe you came back" he said. "You look beautiful" he said. "No I don't" she answered. "To me you were always beautiful, but tonight I can see you grew up" She blushed. He stood very close behind her and had a strange feeling that worried him a little. She turned around and gave him a hug. As he pulled her closer, he could also feel that she had grown up. "Thank you" she whispered. "I thought I would never see you again, and here you are, a beautiful grown up woman." Suddenly she looked up to him. "Jon?" "Yes?" "How do you feel now that you know that father was not your real father? Did it... change anything for you?" He looked away and smiled then. "You ask interesting questions my lady." "Don't call me what I am not !" He giggled. "To answer your question, well, it did not change how I feel about this family. Lyanna died before I could meet her, and your father never made a difference between me and his real children. He taught me what was important. For him, I wanted to be a real man. I wanted to make him proud. And if I make a decision, I still ask myself what he would do." Arya smiled. Then she became quiet and let go of him. "I heard the Targaryen girl asked you to marry her and become king." When Sansa had told her about this, Arya had felt a stitch in her heart. I made no sense, Jon could marry whomever he wanted. "I don't think she is right for you" Jon smiled. "Hear ye, hear ye. You don't think she is right for me ? Then tell me, who would be right for me? " Arya looked down. "Don't know. But this woman seems to be obsessed with power. I fear queens who are only craving for power. She might kill you one day when she's had enough, just like Cersei killed Robert." She looked very serious. Jon smiled and stroked her hair. "Don't worry. I declined her offer. I said I would support her even if we were not married. But you are right, we have to be careful with her. Madness lies within her family, or I should say, our family. I can't get used to it somehow." "You deserve someone who likes you for your personality, your intelligence and your gentle heart " she said confidently. "Not someone who is after powerful alliances. " Someone just like you, Jon thought, and felt immediately ashamed of his own thoughts. "You seem to be relieved now." he said to her. "Of course I am ! I was so worried that you could leave us and go to King's Landing, father did that and we all know what happened. " He grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles. "We can only trust each other" he said.


	2. Chapter 2 Aryas Return

Arya could not sleep. Again. Too many things were racing through her head. She wished her head would just be quiet for a while. When she was little she used to sneak into Jon's room to see if he was awake. If he was, she talked to him for a while and she felt better. He never told anyone about it. Old Nan would have been angry with her and told her that it was not an appropriate behavior for a lady to sneak into a boy's room. Why did he mean more to her, so much more than Bran or Sansa? They were the only remaining members of her family. Even though her relationship with Jon had always been deeper, since she returned, she wanted to spend every second with him. As if she was trying to make up for all the time she had been far away. He was busy preparing the battle, but whenever it was possible she tried to be close to him. She decided to give it a try and knocked on his door. "Come in " she heard him say sleepily. She slid through the door and saw that he was already under his blankets. "I'm sorry" she whispered "I'll come back tomorrow." As she was about to turn away, he got up. "No no, it's fine. I don't sleep well even when I'm tired like today. So might as well just listen to you." He looked at her and indicated her to sit on the bed. She smiled. "Would you mind if I..?" She slipped into his covers. He rolled aside to give her more space. Somehow she felt strange. She was a grown woman now. It was in the middle of the night and if someone had noticed that she went in his room, things could get complicated. But Jon seemed relaxed as usual. "Is there anything you want to talk about?" he asked. "Don't know" she said. "There are many things that we need to talk about, too many. I assume that one night would not be enough for all the things I want to say." He nodded. One night was enough for other things... he let go of that though as she continued to talk. "What are we going to do if we win?" Jons voice changed. "That's a really big if. I don't know. Winter is here and we need to protect our realm, our women and our children. We need to do everything we can. That is all I think of. I haven't really had thoughts that go any further than that." His eyes looked harsh now. "Yes but I mean, if... one of us would have to marry someone." she said. Jon grinned now. "I never thought I would hear Arya Stark talk about marriage one day. Well, I mean, I think we will have a big wedding." Her heart stood still. "This Meera girl seems to be nice. Father trusted her family. And she saved Brans life several times." He paused. "So you are going to marry her?" Jon looked at her as if she was the stupidest person he had ever seen. "No you, fool, of course Bran wants to marry her!" He couldn't help but laugh. Arya blushed. "You have been away too long milady. Didn't you see how he looked at her? I think they would make a perfect match." "Don't call me milady" she said spitefully. "Well, can't call you sister anymore can I ?" He looked at her. "Maybe we should get you married ! Which prince would you like, milady? We need to make alliances !" he joked with a serious voice and started to tickle her. "Joooon ! Stop ! Stop it !" she shouted, laughing. "Now tell me, was there anyone you would like to have married? " He was really curious. He wanted to find out. When Arya went to King's Landing she was still a child and didn't think highly of marriage and love. Time had passed and if there was someone in her heart, he wanted to know. "Well, there was someone. His name was Gendry. He said he would make me his lady. But that was long ago. I heard he became a pirate and is feeding hungry children with the loot now." She shrugged. "Gendry, huh?" Jon hadn't expected that. He somehow felt that he was jealous. But he thought that all older brothers wanted to protect their little sisters from other men who had no serious intentions. But this feeling was different. He couldn't imagine sharing Arya with anyone else. "Did he try to kiss you?" he asked, maybe a little too harsh. "Of course not ! I was too young and too shy for such things." she said and blushed again. "And you, Milord? " she asked, smirking. Jon didn't talk about it, but he had started the conversation so he had to be honest. "Ygritte. Her name was Ygritte. She was the only one. She was a wildling and I was a man of the Night's Watch. She knew that marriage was forbidden for crows and she shot three arrows through my body when I left her." He closed his eyes. The pain in his heart came back whenever he thought of her. "That's severe. What happened then?" ahe asked, looking really concerned. Jon looked away. "Well, she died in my arms." Arya understood that he didn't want to talk anymore about this matter so she decided to stroke his head quietly. "I'm sorry to bother you with sad stories. We have all had enough sad stories for a lifetime really." Arya crawled closer to him until there was no distance between them. "It's alright" she said. "I am here to listen." She held him tightly and rested her head against him. "I don't think I want to get out in the cold halls again. Would you mind if I stayed here overnight?" she asked shyly. "No, of course not." he said. He tried to hide his happiness but he smiled automatically. "What ?" She looked confused. "I can leave if you want?" "No" he grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest. "I'm glad you're here" He interlaced his fingers with hers. "You used to come here and talk to me when we were younger. It calmed you down. Now you are here to calm me down." She gave him a kiss on his cheek. "When I was with the Faceless Men, the one thing I could not give up was needle. Needle saved my life. It reminded me of you and of Winterfell. I realized I had to come back." He pulled her closer and stroked her neck. "Jon" she whispered. "How was she? I mean Ygritte?" He opened one eye and looked at her. "She was a facetious redhead woman. Glib. Strong, independent, skinny. Good with arrows." He grinned and closed his eyes. "She had some things in common with you I guess." Arya looked at him and found him more handsome than ever. She watched him for a while until he fell asleep. Then she huddled up against him and also fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3 - Early Breakfast

The next morning, Jon woke up early. The moment he woke up, he realized that he was in an uncomfortable situation. The same situation he had experienced when he had slept next to Ygritte.

Arya was still sleeping and didn't look like she would wake up soon. She looked so innocent and perfect that he felt guilty of the things that happened in his dream. He felt guilty because he liked what he saw in his dream. He was totally bewitched. His dreams were not his anymore. He wanted to lie next to her and just wait until she woke up, but it would be awkward to let her know what happened. So he had to climb over her and leave the room.

The moment he was on top of her she suddenly said "Where are you going?" She sounded very awake even though her eyes were still closed. "I'll be right back" he said and rushed out of the room as if a White Walker was chasing him. This had to stop. Arya had changed and he had changed.

She surely wasn't a child anymore and soon she would understand what was going on. There was only one way to end this. He had to tell her about his new feelings, even if that meant that they would spend less time with each other, if she still saw him as a brother. He knew that he could talk to her about anything but this was different.

She was the only girl who always liked him for his personality, the girl who never left him alone when he wasn't allowed to sit at the same table with the other members of the family. She would stay with him during boring feasts and distract him - sometimes she did not succeed. That's when she would stop making jokes and would just climb behind him to give him a tight hug. She always knew what he needed most, when no one really cared. He thought of her on his way to the Night's Watch and in the years after. Being rejected by Arya Stark would be worse than having three arrows piercing your body.

He wanted her to like him. He wanted her to see him as a possible husband - even if she was still young. He wanted to know that she belonged to him and to no one else. But for the following days, he could not allow her to sneak into his room anymore. He was worried that he might rush things and scare her and that was the worst thing he could do. While he thought of these things, his problem solved itself and he thanked the old gods and the new ones for it. Why was everything so complicated? He decided to wait until the battle was won, before he talked to her about it. If he talked to her before and she didn't give him a proper answer, he would always wonder what the answer might have been and he would probably die not knowing what she thought of him, or worse, knowing that she did only like him as a brother. So he would prefer not to talk about it at all.

He slowly entered the room in case she had fallen back asleep, but she waited for him, wide awake. "There you are" she said. "Thought you lost your way." Her nightgown was too big for her so it had exposed her shoulder. The sight made him think of his dream again. "It's almost dawn" he said. "We could get ourselves some breakfast. You don't seem very sleepy to me."

She got up walked towards him. "I had a wonderful dream. " she said. "Let's go." As they walked to the kitchen, they talked about strategies and possible obstacles. It was a tiring subject. Fighting death itself when most of the family members were already dead wasn't really brightening anyone of them up. The kitchen was empty at this time. "I'll keep knocking your door if I can't sleep. At least this way I will get to spend some time with you" she said. He took a big bite from his bread. He wanted to tell her that she should stay in her room, but he heard himself say "Alright." Her beautiful face lit up when he said that, so he just couldn't decline. "Now you know how it feels" he said. "What?" she was not sure if she said something wrong. "You miss me and you want to spend time with me, that's how I felt when you were gone" He took another bite. "I didn't want to leave!" she said angrily. "I know. I'm sorry." he said. "You have a special permission to knock on my door whenever you like. I name you Warden of Jon Snow's door." He smiled but he knew that he had hurt her feelings. "I'm sorry Arya. I know you never wanted to leave. You must know that I really enjoy spending time with you, and I would love to run away with you and leave everything behind, but if the Others come, there will be no place left for us to go to."

The last sentence made her think. Run away with her? Alone? She decided to change subject. "You don't like ruling anyway. Of course you would like to run away." She was right.

"I told Bran he can be the king of the North if he likes. I have no claim to the throne anyway." "Yeah, I heard that. He said no." Jon grinned. "He said he would think about it. I guess we all don't want that much responsibility on our shoulders. When I was Lord Commander, I made one decision that didn't please all men, and I got killed. I know that I can't please everyone so I think I need better guards." He chuckled.

Arya took his hand. "You are a great ruler. Father would be proud of you. And I can be your guard. I know how to use needle." Jon looked at her. He would rather have her as his lady. She took a sip of her herbal tea. "I am not who I used to be, Jon" her voice sounded darker and deeper now. "I've done bad things. "

She teared up. She covered her face with her hands and started to cry violently. She felt desperate, hopeless and empty. Jon got up and ran around the table to console her. " No,don't say that" he said. She could feel that he wasn't comfortable with crying women and didn't really know what to do. She tried to stop crying but being home and seeing the remaining members of her family had broken her shell. Now she couldn't hold it back. She had lost her innocence when she killed for the first time. She would have done anything just to go back in time where the worst thing she could think of was Sansa being mean to her. She wanted to be the little girl that Jon still saw in her. Every time he looked in her eyes she knew that he missed this girl... but that girl was no longer there. Instead, there was this monster who smiled after killing someone. She just wanted her parents, her brothers and her innocence back. They would have felt terrible if they knew what had become of her. Then she heard some footsteps.

"What is going on here? Arya, darling, what happend?" Sansa rushed into the room and looked at Jon reproachfully.

"I am evil !" she sobbed. "I am going to pay for the things I have done I'm sure!" Suddenly Sansa understood. She grabbed Aryas arm.

"Arya. Arya look at me." she demanded. "Arya, whatever you have done, you will always be my little sister. I forgive you. We all did what we needed to do to survive. We all changed. Life has changed us. The things people have done to us changed us. I watched Ramsey get eaten by his own dogs and, oh, it felt good. Seeing him suffer felt so good. I can tell you that. And I don't feel guilty." She let go of her arm and stroked her head gently.

"I hanged a little boy because he stabbed me when I was Lord Commander" he said.

"You know what Bran always tells us? The past cannot be changed, the ink is dry. We can only learn from it try to do our best. I know you wouldn't have done all these things when life hadn't forced you to be tough. Our family, our home, our name. It has all been taken from us. But now we are back. We can remember our parents and try to rule wisely as they did. " She looked at them, still whimpering quietly.

"You are home now. You don't have to fight anymore. And don't think about the past anymore. Although I must say, the future doesn't look that bright either." "JON! " Sansa shouted. "You are not really good at consoling people." she said. They both laughed. Between them, she felt warm and safe. She wanted to freeze the moment but she knew it was impossible.

"What were you two doing here anyway? It's so early" Sansa remarked. Jon and Arya looked at each other. "Couldn't sleep" Arya said quickly. "Yeah, me neither " said Sansa. "It's not easy to sleep these days" she added. Arya felt relieved that she didn't ask any further questions. "Well, maybe you should try to rest. I'm doing some embroidery for Meera to distract myself. It really calms my nerves. If you need something just knock, " she said to her and and gave her a kiss before she left the kitchen.

"The council will meet in half an hour. I should get ready." Jon stood up. Arya followed him. "Jon" He turned around. "Would you mind if I sleep in your room now? Just for a while" He nodded. "Sure, no problem. I'll try to look for you when the meeting is over but I can't promise." She smiled. "Thank you Jon." she said and walked towards his room. Inside, everything was carrying his scent. She took his shift dress off the chair and embraced it before she climbed back into the bed. She fell asleep quickly and had a dream that took her far away, where there was no one but her and him.


	4. Chapter 4 - Bran's Wedding

Days passed and everyone was busy. Not only were they busy because of the upcoming battle, but also because of the wedding. Bran had asked Meera for her hand because he wanted to get married before the battle, in case anything happened to him. His sisters were very excited and they both loved Meera. During all this turmoil, Jon felt the urge to talk to someone. But whom could he turn to? He would have liked to talk to Tyrion, because he had always been a great adviser in any subject, but Tyrion was not there. Maybe he would talk to Ser Davos. He would not judge him for his feelings. Jon wondered, what Ned Stark would have thought of all this. Ned always knew that he was not his son and yet he let him be very close to Sansa and Arya. Maybe it would have never occured to him that he could be able to develop feelings for a girl he was raised with. Maybe he would have even approved and given them his blessings. This would have been very important to him. He clung to this thought to feel better. He was sure that Ned would have never forced Arya to do something she didn't want to do. That's why he had to ask her first and he knew that he would accept her answer in either case.

Arya felt useless. When she was assassinating people, she could rely on herself. She knew she would succeed. Now people were preparing for battle and there was nothing she could do for them. The council had called her to ask her if she could possibly steal the face of a White Walker and help them as a spy, but that was such an absurd thought that she didn't even know what to say. It was Sam's idea, and in fact, she liked the idea of helping Jon's army - but the Others were dead and alive, so she had no idea how their faces could be stolen without destroying them or hurting herself. They agreed that they would talk about this subject later when they had more information on what was possible, but Jon didn't give his permission to try it because he didn't want to put her in danger.

So all there was left to do for her was helping Sansa prepare the wedding. Her family was really traumatized after the last wedding so they decided to keep it as simple as possible, they didn't even tell everyone. The people in the kitchen thought they would be making a cake for the members of the council, to cheer them up a bit. They didn't tell anyone where they would go in the evening.  
Bran had decided that he wanted the ceremony to take place in the tower.

Nobody understood why he wanted to go back to a place where he almost lost his life, but he insisted. He told them that he would make peace with his past now and accept that he gained different abilities after the incident. He would not forget nor forgive, but he embraced his new life and didn't want the past to control his life forever. Arya found that very powerful. After that, she was very proud of her brother.

She was deep in thought when Sansa touched her shoulder. "Are you done decorating? We have to get ready - you don't want to attend the ceremony in trousers, do you?" They both smiled. Again, she let Sansa pick the dress. Arya had to admit that Sansa was really good at it. This time, she had chosen a ruby one, with long wide sleeves. They both wore some of Catelyns jewelry that was still there. Arya thought that both of her parents would have been very proud that they got along so well now. Sadly they would not be able to see them like this. This time, both of them had tears in their eyes. "Well. I wish mother could see us. But this is not a sad day. Our brother is marrying the love of his life so we should not stay in this room and cry. Let's go, they must be waiting." Sansa took her hand and Arya forced herself to smile at least a bit.

When they entered the room, the couple was already waiting. She walked through the room and stood next to Jon, who didn't take his eyes off her. "Sansa knows how to make you shine milady. You look gorgeous again." She linked arms with him and smiled. Only a few people were there. Meeras parents, Ser Davos, Brienne, and Tormund. The other people who should have been invited mostly weren't alive anymore, so it didn't really matter.

After they exchanged the vows and kissed, the guests applauded and followed the couple outside. They would all go back and have dinner. Jon and Arya were the last to be in the tower. He looked at her, in her ruby dress, that was giving him an invitation to touch her beautiful body. He would have liked to kiss her, now that they were alone in the tower. But he knew this would not be a good approach so he took a deep breath of the cold winter air instead. But the cold couldn't wipe out the warmth he felt in his lower body. "Are you coming" she said, as she stood on the stair.

The dining room was filled with noise and laughter. Jon sat between his sisters again and grabbed Aryas hand. "You owe me a dance, little cousin" he whispered in her ear. "I'm not a good dancer you see - can't we just have a swordfight ?" Jon chuckled. "Well, this is a wedding - a swordfight would not be appropriate for this occasion." Arya rolled her eyes. "Fine. If I dance with you, will you have a swordfight with me? It doesn't have to be today. I still need to prove to you that I can be a good kingsguard for you. You didn't seem to believe me the last time I told you" Jon grinned mischievously.

"That's a deal - but - what do you want if you win?" He was very curious to hear the answer and leaned over to be closer to her. "If I win, you have to let me be your guard, so I can always be where you are" She smiled, but her eyes seemed sad somehow. He could tell that she was worried about him. "I promise. If you win, my safety is in your hands." Arya nodded. "What if you win?" Jon thought about it for a moment. "If I win, you have to grant me a wish." "I hope it won't be something impossible then" she said. "I'll try to fulfill your wish." "Now that we've talked business - let's dance!" He got up and lifted her up and put her down in the middle of the room. Arya felt awkward and didn't want to be in the center again. But Jon made her forget that there were other people in the room. He didn't take his eyes off her and he didn't dance with anyone else. She didn't remember how long they danced, but she remembered that she was happy - her heart was jumping and she felt light as a feather. The last time she had felt this way had been when she had slept next to Jon and dreamt that he would kiss her gently.

Ser Davos saw that the seat next to Sansa was empty. "A nice feast, milady." he said as he sat down. "Yes it truly is. I hope it won't be our last." She looked anxious. "We all hope so, milady." He sat there for a while and watched the couples dancing. "Jon's been different since your little sister came back" he remarked. "Yes, I noticed. He seems less tense. They have always been close you see " she paused. "They always had this special connection. He was his favorite and he was hers. She looked up to him and still does I think." Ser Davos didn't know how to address the matter. "Milady, has it ever occurred to you...I mean... now that your sister has grown older, and Jon is not your brother anymore" He struggled to find the right words. "What are you trying to say Ser Davos?" Sansa looked at him, clearly amused. "Well, if you are saying their relationship has taken a different direction, I am really not in the position to oppose. My sister is a reasonable person and so is Jon. We shall see. Also, after all the events, nothing can really surprise me anymore." She smiled. Apparently Ser Davos relaxed and kept watching the couples dance.


	5. Chapter 5

It was already in the middle of the night when the room got emptier, Bran and Meera had already left. Sansa also went to sleep. Jon and Arya were one of the last people in the room. "Jon, we have to stop" she laughed. "No, not yet." he swirled her around again. Arya felt dizzy. She didn't know if it was because of the wine or the dancing, but certainly she was not standing firmly on the ground anymore. Normally she only drank herbal teas to have a clear mind in case she had to fight someone, so she wasn't used to all that wine. "No really, I feel like could faint anytime. It was too much." Jon stopped immediately. "Alright - I'll bring you to your room." She smiled and put her arms around him. "Thank you. No sword fighting tonight I guess." "What a pity!" he said mockingly.

They walked out to the hallway. She knew she would never be able to defeat him because he was years ahead of her. All she could do was try. And show that she had gained some skills since they didn't see each other. They entered her room and she was a little disappointed because she would have loved to have him by her side again. He placed her on the bed and took her shoes off. "But don't you think I'll forget about the sword fight! I need to rest, and then I will be back, and I promise you that it won't be easy for you. I will show you that I can be a trustworthy guard." She said convincedly and laid down. She closed her eyes. Jon smiled. "Why do you want to be my guard so badly" he said. "Well obviously, your guards weren't that good the last time, or else you wouldn't have been stabbed. If you need to get something done properly, you have to do it yourself they say. I think I have to take care of your safety myself." Jon tucked her up. "To be honest, I didn't really have guards back then. I guess I was too trusting." he told her. He liked how much she worried about him. Remembering this moment would give him confidence when the day would come and he would finally have to open up to her. "No one cares about you as much as I do " she muttered. "I can't let anything happen to you." Seconds later, she was dreaming again.

On the next morning, Arya had a terrible headache. She thought that she should really stick with the herbal tea. One of the maids came to look after her and brought her a pot of herbal tea and some dry bread. When she got up, she still faltered, but after the second cup of tea she felt better. She walked towards the window and noticed a package on her desk. A cord was wrapped around a colorful blanket. When she opened the blanked - she found a note and some leather armor that could only fit her. The direwolf was stitched on the shoulder of the vest. "Arya, I had this made for you, I suggest you meet me tomorrow around noon in the godswood. Until then you can also come and help the boys with their training if you like" She didn't even think about it and got dressed in no time at all.

The boys were surprised when they saw her, Lady Arya Stark, walking towards them in full armor. Some of them had already seen Brienne of Tarth, but armed women weren't that common. Jon encouraged the girls to learn to defend themselves - as they would be alone most of the time when the war started. Most of the girls did not want to participate, but the Wildlings were different. Their girls learned to hunt and shoot arrows. Arya thought of the girl Jon had told her about and felt a little jealous. But then she was ashamed that she was jealous of a dead women. She saw a group of girls practicing and assumed from their looks that they were wildlings. Two of them were already older, they could have been the same age her mother had been when she passed away. One was still very young, twelve, maybe. And one seemed older than Arya but younger than the other two women. She could see the mistakes they were making and decided to start a conversation. "You're position is wrong " she said. "Never stand directly towards an enemy, he will have more surface to hurt you if you turn your front towards him. If you turn your body to the side, it will be more difficult." They looked puzzled, if not even a bit hostile at her.

"And you are?" the younger woman asked in a mocking tone. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself. I'm Lady Arya Stark of Winterfell and I'm here to help" She walked towards them as they all bowed in front of her, totally shocked. "I'm sorry milady, I didn't know" the woman sounded insecure now.

"It's fine, don't worry. You don't have to call me milady, Arya is enough. And you don't have to bow. " They stood up and looked at her, waiting for an instruction. "I can show you a few things if you like?"

Arya stayed with them until noon, when they all needed a break. The two older women told her that their husbands both died, one had become a White Walker and the other one died when Jon and Sansa took Winterfell. Now she had one daughter, Tesha, she had to raise.

" Your family is good" one of the widows said. "They took us in and now we have to face our worst enemy together . I might have lost my husband but I don't want the others to lose theirs. I'll march with them when the day comes." "That's very brave of you." she said. If these women, who couldn't even fight, wanted to join the army, then why couldn't she? She had to talk about this to Jon.

They practiced a few hours until Arya was really exhausted. After she came back home she didn't have the opportunity to train. It felt good to move again, to do something she really enjoyed.

Later, she found Jon in his tent. His counselors were still there and they looked strained and highly focused. "Jon. Thanks for the armor. " He hadn't expected her there so he looked surprised. "I only wanted to suggest that we meet in the basement, not in the godswood. " He stared at her skeptically. "Why?" he asked. "Surprise" she said and left the tent.

His counselors were expecting an explanation now. He was mad at Arya because he didn't want them to know what was going on. " Just something between me and my sis- cousin " he corrected himself. They still didn't look satisfied. "Well, she wants to have swordfight with me, so she can prove that she is good enough to be my guard." It sounded ridiculous as he said it. "A swordfight ? With you? " Tormund burst into laughter, so did Ser Davos. "I do like this girl." he said admiringly. "She could be a true wildling." Jon wasn't sure if they underestimated her.


	6. Chapter 6 - the swordfight

On the next day, Arya was very excited. She was early, but that was better than letting Jon wait. He was very busy, but he would keep his promise. She was nervous and walked back and forth in the basement. She didn't know why she was that restless. It was just a game. Nothing serious. Or was it? Jon would win, that she was sure about. But why didn't he tell her what his wish would be ? What could he possibly ask for? She heard footsteps coming closer and knew that it was time.

Jon walked towards her, smiling. He was carrying two broomsticks on his back and threw them on the ground. "What's that for ?" Arya asked, clearly confused. "You didn't think we would use real swords, did you?" Arya blushed again. Why did he make her feel dumb that often? He used to do that when she was little, but now that she was older, it was even more embarrassing. "You don't believe that I could seriously hurt you anyway, do you." she said sulkily. "But I could hurt you" he replied. "Alright, you know what, it was a bad idea. You have better things to do." she said. Jon chuckled. "What, are you backing down? I'm here now, I am very curious." He grinned. "It was stupid and I was drunk. And I can't win so where's the point" she said, frustrated. "I know. But you can try. Also there is my wish, remember." She looked at him. She knew he would stay until they had fought. Whatever his wish was, it was important to him. Seeing her lose would please him, because of the thing she would have to do after. It was her idea so she had to keep her word. She took one broomstick off the ground. "Fine. But promise me, that you won't make it easy for me." she said. Then she blew out the candles, one after the other. "Wait, what? Fighting in darkness?" he sounded insecure. "I said there would be a surprise." , she replied with confidence.

Jon let her tackle. She had one advantage, her knowledge in dealing with darkness. She had to make use of that advantage to keep up with Jon's experience. And he was good. Even in the darkness, he was a skilled swordsman. She never had doubted that. He almost hit her stomach, but she could elude. She didn't manage to hit him, not once. She had to change her strategy. She sneaked behind him without a sound, and he was expecting to be hit on his upper body, but she hit his feet causing him to lurch. In that moment of distraction, she jumped on him. They both fell on the floor. Arya sat on top of him and placed her broomstick on his throat. "Over." she whispered chillingly. "You hurt my feet" he said. "Well played Arya Stark, well played." He sounded amused. He still didn't take her seriously. "I must admit, I underestimated you." She grinned, but he couldn't see it in the pitch-dark basement. "Where did you learn that?" He was curious. "In the house of Black and White. They took my sight and this girl used to beat me up every single day when I was blind. I killed her." Jon's heart felt as if it was pierced by a thousand pins. He couldn't bear listening to her stories. Whenever she told him about the horrid events she had to endure, he felt guilty and angry. Angry at himself that he didn't protect her, that he didn't leave the Wall to find her, and to take her home. But otherwise, she wouldn't be the strong independent woman she was now. "I'm glad you're here now." he said, in a calm and earnest tone. She was still on top of him and didn't move. "But I think we will have to repeat this, in the godswood, by daylight. I won't let you fool me again Arya." he said, this time encouragingly. "Can I be your guard now? You promised!" she said, in a typical Arya manner.

Jon laughed."Oh Arya. If father could hear you now. All of my counselor are going to make fun of me. A king that needs to be protected by his dainty little sister." "Cousin" she corrected him and punched him with her fists on his chest. "You promised." Jon took her hands. "You are right. And I won't break my promise. You would make a good guard at night. Since you can't sleep anyway, you could just as well watch over me while I sleep. I know you already do that sometimes, don't you." Arya blushed and was glad that he couldn't see her. She didn't answer.

He took a deep breath. "Sometimes I'm still afraid that you might just disappear, that it was all just a dream that might come to an end too soon." He wanted to place his hand on her cheek but accidently touched her nose. She giggled. When she slept in his bed, he put his arm around her as if he would never let her go. Sometimes she woke up and put his arm aside because he was holding her too tightly, but minutes later he would grad her skinny body again and press her against him. "So, have we spent enough time in the darkness?" He asked. "I like the darkness. I keeps secrets" she whispered. "What would have been your wish, Jon Snow" She came closer to his face. "What did you want me to do?" She was teasing him. Here, in the darkness, no one would ever know what happened. He could have taken the chance, but he wanted to resist. What if she didn't feel the same? What if he would scare her away? He wasn't even sure if she teased him on purpose. Again, he felt something in his lower body. Please, not now, he begged the old gods and the new ones. But having Arya on top of him aroused him. He was powerless against his instincts. Arya was waiting for an answer. But then she got up and gave him her hand to help him get up. Before they left the basement she turned around and said : " Maybe you'll have the courage to tell me one day"


	7. Chapter 7 - The Night before the battle

**Author's note : So guys, thanks for reading this story so far. This chapter was supposed to be the end of my story, but I must admit that I don't like open endings at all- so what I am asking you to do is, please write a review or send me a personal message and tell me if you would like to read another chapter. I will make a seperate story with a proper ending then.** **Also, if you do want to read more, let me know what you think Arya's role might be in the battle against the White Walkers. GRR Martin says his writing is no democracy, but mine is ;)**

 **Thanks again for reading and following!**

 **-WARNING :** ** _CONTAINS NUDITY_** **-**

The night before the battle.

Later, it was decided that the women of the free folk who didn't want to participate in the battle would leave the North, along with other northern women and children. Some of them would be sent to Storm's End, other parts of them would be sent to Dorne. Samwell had a long list with names of women and children, so there wouldn't be any confusion if their sons and husbands ever returned.

Sansa and Arya would be sent to the Red Keep that now belonged to Queen Daenerys. Arya had a bad feeling about this. Everyone knew what happened the last time they went to King's Landing and left Winterfell.

Arya couldn't sleep. All the people she knew were in danger, and all she could do was sit and watch. She wanted to go with them and fight, but Sansa and Jon didn't let her. She felt useless. "Why am I always told to stay at home?" she thought. She knew that Jon couldn't sleep either. No one could. They were all nervous and afraid. Sleeping would be the last thing people would think of.

Jon was standing in front of his desk and studying battle plans. He thought this might calm him down, but he already knew everything by heart and it didn't help. He heard a knock on his door. Tonight, it could be anyone. It was their last night in safety. "Come in" he said. Arya was in her nightdress, holding a candleholder in her hands. "Can't sleep" she said and sat on Jon's bed. "And I'm angry. Why am I always told to stay away from trouble? I was blind, I had swordfights in complete darkness, I killed Walder Frey and a bunch of other people, and still I am not good enough to go with you?" She was furious. "Arya" he said calmly and sat next to her on the bed. He took her hand. "I thought I would never see you again. How could I risk your life now? " He embraced her and started to play with her hair. Her hair smelt good, as always. "I'm still mad" she said defiantly, her voice was stifled because he pressed her head against him.

"You are making things very difficult for me, Arya. How can I focus on the battle if your life is at risk at any moment? I could never forgive myself. I have to keep you safe. " She freed herself from the his strong arms and looked at him. " I took of care of myself for a long time and I don't need to be protected. " They both looked at each other. This time, Jon truly looked at her, in her nightgown. She was a strong and attractive woman now, but she was still stubborn. Jon thought, that it might be the last time he could talk to her, so he decided to tell her right away. "I love you" he said. "I love you too" said Arya. "No, I mean, I really love you, Arya. You are special. We grew up together but we are cousins, and I didn't see you for a long time. No one knows me like you do. You understand me and I understand you. I have never felt that with any other person. I don't know how you feel about it, but if this is the last time you see me alive, then at least you will know. I wanted to ask you for your hand after the battle." He stood up and got back to his desk. Arya sat still. "So, now you know." he said calmly. "If I had won our swordfight, I would have asked you to kiss me" he told her. She didn't know if he expected her to say anything, and she did not know what to answer, because everything seemed so clear to her now. Instead of talking, she decided to walk up to him and hold him from behind. He suddenly turned around. Then he looked at her and kissed her lips softly. "I'm sorry" he whispered. "Don't be" she said. She kissed him back, this time a bit more passionate. "So... what does this mean now" he asked hesitatingly."What do think it means Jon Snow" She stroked his neck. "We would always finish each other's sentences, remember? So. I already knew. But I'm glad you told me because otherwise I would have been the one to start this conversation. And being rejected by you is one of the few things Arya Stark is afraid of." He smiled brightly and lifted her tiny body up and swirled her around. "It all makes sense now. We aren't siblings anymore. I saw how you looked at me with desire" she whispered. When their lips met, it felt like they belonged together. Then, she stopped. "Jon" she said "I have never been with a man, but I don't want to wait any longer. " He looked at her beautiful face. "Are you sure?" "Yes" she said. He pulled her braided hair back and their lips collided again. She grabbed his neck and let him pull her waist towards him where she could feel what she had evoked. "Arya" he moaned hoarsely. "I missed you so much." His hand slid under her nightgown and stroked her inner thighs. Where had she been all this time. He suddenly lifted her up and threw her on his bed, and got undressed slowly while watching her get rid of her nightgown. The sight of her skinny exposed body made him forget every catastrophic event that was about to come. He bent over her and bit her nipples, then covered her belly with kisses. Occasionally he stopped and took a look at her face to see if she enjoyed it. When he kissed her between her legs, her eyes were closed and she moaned quietly. He grabbed her breasts and squeezed her nipples. He put his fingers on her pearl and let them slide with pressure. The circling movement gave her pleasure, so he knew she was ready for him. He carefully went inside her, trying to make it as easy for her as he could. She squinted her eyes and seemed a little tense, so he slowed down and kept on kissing her. When she loosened again, he went on. Her whole body was shaking from pleasure. It felt right. His mind was clouded from desire as he kept thrusting. He wanted to hide inside her, far away from all the obstacles and the past. He resisted until Arya released a scream. Their bodies convulsed and Jon rolled away. They were both exhausted and smiling. Arya put her head on his chest and stroked his arm.

"I don't want you to go. If anything happens to you, I want to be there. I want to be where you are. From now on I don't want to be separated from you again. " He kissed her forehead. They both didn't sleep that night. There would be no time to process the things that had happened between them. Arya would have slit destiny's body if destiny would have been a person. Her parents and brothers had been taken from her and when the sun would rise, her true love would also be taken. She was sure that she could never let that happen. At dawn, Jon got dressed without saying a word. He kneeled in front of the bed and wiped away her tears. He said "You were my first true love and you will be my last. Life didn't give us much time together but I am grateful for every second I spent with you" He kissed her passionately and left. Arya was strangely calm. She felt nothing anymore. She knew that any resistance was futile now. She had to let him go to lead his men. He was honorable and knew what was his duty. After all, she wouldn't be the first women he would leave to fulfill his duty. But she would be the first woman to disrupt his plan.


End file.
